A closer look at Lewiston’s proposed FY2025 budget

Plans for a new pool and splash pad could proceed at the site of the now-defunct Bert Lipps Pool even though no money has been designated at this time in the municipality’s 2025 Fiscal Year Budget.

The budget as well as the city’s share of property tax revenue for the upcoming fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 will go before the Lewiston City Council on Monday for final and third votes.

The combination pool and splash pad, the option supported by the majority of those who responded to a recent survey, would cost an estimated $2.5 million to $3.75 million.

That money could come from an assigned building fund that’s projected to have $5.3 million during the upcoming fiscal year, said Lewiston Mayor Dan Johnson in an email.

The pool was open for one day in the summer of 2023, then closed because of a massive leak. Subsequent studies found the pool is beyond repair and it was closed all of this summer.

Some form of outdoor water recreation has to be on the site to comply with terms of a federal grant that was used to upgrade the pool’s mechanical system in the 1990s.

Here is some additional context about the discussion Lewiston’s elected officials are having about the proposed $114.6 million budget for the 2025 fiscal year with $24.2 million in property tax revenue.

Question: Infrastructure upgrades are the biggest item in the proposed 2025 fiscal year budget, $42.6 million compared with $38.5 million this year. Where is the money coming from to pay for those improvements? What are some of the upgrades?

Answer: The biggest share of infrastructure upgrades would be in the water capital ($11 million) and wastewater capital ($15 million) funds, which receive money from user fees and grants.

The city has budgeted $6.7 million in its 2025 Fiscal Year Budget to replace the system it uses to take water from the Clearwater River for drinking water, said Lewiston Public Works Director Dustin Johnson.

The total cost of the project is estimated at about $17 million, including $1.7 million already spent for engineering and other costs as well as $8.6 million the city is still seeking, Johnson said.

“We just want to serve our constituents with clean drinking water,” he said.

The issues date back to the 1970s when slack water arrived in Lewiston, he said. An intake system that was installed upstream from Clearwater Paper on the north side of the Clearwater River near the Idaho Transportation Department weigh station never worked, he said.

A temporary one was constructed downstream from Clearwater Paper, also on the north side of the Clearwater River near the city limit, Johnson said.

Besides the potential risks of being downstream from the mill, the temporary system has problems such as being blocked by silt unless it’s dredged at regular intervals, he said.

Additionally, city officials are worried that if the water being funneled into the treatment plant has too much sand, it might hurt the equipment used to clean the water, he said.

The water treatment plant, which was recently retrofitted in a $31 million project, is an important source of water for the city of Lewiston, but not its only source. It also gets water from wells.

The wastewater upgrades involve an expansion of the intake system at its wastewater treatment plant to match the capacity of the recently renovated facility. Replacement of water pipelines and wastewater collection systems are among other projects slated for the upcoming fiscal year.

Question: Pay and benefits for the city’s 336 full- and part-time positions, including jobs that are not filled, but not counting seasonal positions, are the second-largest expense in the proposed 2025 Fiscal Year Budget, rising from $33.8 million this fiscal year to $35.5 million in the upcoming fiscal year. What are some of the factors?

Answer: In the version of the budget that goes before city council Monday, no additional positions are being added.

The budget generally includes a cost of living increase for all employees of 2.5% as well as additional merit raises based on longevity. Health insurance and workers compensation premiums are anticipated to climb by $228,000 in the upcoming fiscal year, said Aimee Gordon, city of Lewiston finance director and treasurer, in an email.

Typically the city pays 100% of the medical premiums for employees and 80% of the premiums for dependents. The city is required to provide retirement benefits through the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho to employees who work 20 hours per week or more and have been with the city five months or longer.

Question: The majority of the $24.2 million in property tax revenue the city of Lewiston plans to receive in the 2025 Fiscal Year, or about $17 million, goes to its general fund of about $38 million for day-to-day operations of the city. What are some of the biggest expenses in that part of the budget?

Answer: A total of $11.2 million would go to the fire department and another $9.8 million would be funneled to the police department. The assigned building fund, a potential source of revenue for replacing Bert Lipps Pool, would have $5.3 million.

Even though the police department would get the second-highest amount of revenue in the general fund in the 2025 Fiscal Year, adding officers to the police department is a priority for the 2026 Fiscal Year, according to the mayor’s budget message.

Lewiston has 1.31 officers per 1,000 residents, compared with the national average of 2.1 officers per 1,000 residents, and would need an additional 11 officers to align with the national average, according to the mayor’s budget message.

Hiring more officers would have a number of benefits, according to the mayor’s budget message.

The police department could use a “geographic policing model, dividing the city into five smaller patrol zones rather than the current two. This model would allow officers to build stronger relationships with residents and businesses in their assigned zones, fostering a greater focus on community oriented policing,” according to the mayor’s budget message.

Question: The city of Lewiston is one of multiple entities that receive property taxes from property owners in the city of Lewiston. What are the other largest recipients of property taxes and how much do they receive?

Answer: The amount the city levied for the 2023 tax year was $23.3 million while the Lewiston School District levied $26.9 million and Nez Perce County levied $20 million for that period, said Nez Perce County Clerk, Auditor and Recorder Patty Weeks in an email.

The city only receives property tax revenue from home and business owners in the city limits. The county and school district get property tax revenue from property owners within the city limits and outside of the city limits.

Williams can be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.